Shakespeare and religion: Shakespeare’s complex views of the Islamic world | The Economist

Another part of the richness and insight of Shakespeare:

Shakespeare, as proven time and again in other fields, was ahead of his time in his sensitivity to the Islamic world and its inhabitants. Of course, his plays reveal his own set of prejudices, fascinations and contradictions, but over the course of his career the myth of the bloodthirsty Muslim is eclipsed by a more sensitive depiction in Othello—a change possibly influenced by the visit of Morocco’s ambassador to London in 1600. In our present day, where skewed misconceptions about Islam in Europe is the norm, there is much Shakespeare can teach us about who and what we identify with.

Source: Shakespeare and religion: Shakespeare’s complex views of the Islamic world | The Economist